


April Showers Ficlet Collection

by Dawnlight6



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: April Ficlet Showers, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-26 03:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3836104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnlight6/pseuds/Dawnlight6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four fics written for the April Ficlet Showers challenge, based on prompts created by <a href="http://orteil.dashnet.org/randomgen/?gen=HP5WtTtb">this generator</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Haruka and Michiru: Runaway Soldiers?! Setsuna on the Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> The aim of this challenge was to write at least two fics with Haruka and Michiru in which they interacted with someone other than each other. The generated prompts included a setting, two words that had to be used in the fic, and a character for Haruka or Michiru to interact with.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Your prompt is HARUKA and SETSUNA in a dingy motel._   
>  _Your two prompt phrases are: Making history | Stress_

Setsuna looked with distaste at the scarred, dirty door behind which she suspected she would find her missing teammates. The door belonged to Room #10 of the rather regrettably named Happiness Motel, though whether that name was due to some unaccountable optimism on the owner's part or a deeply pessimistic joke Setsuna couldn't say. Already wanting to wash her hands even before making physical contact, she rapped on the door sharply with her knuckles and heard footsteps moving within the room.

The door opened to reveal a very tousled looking Haruka, who was obviously not expecting to see her.

"Setsuna?" A blush spread rapidly over Haruka's cheeks and her half-glazed eyes cleared quickly as she stared at her teammate. "What are you doing here? I mean, I thought you were…"

"Michiru?" Setsuna said dryly, deducing from Haruka's behaviour that Michiru must be temporarily absent but expected to soon return. "Do you mind if I come in?"

She took Haruka's confused shrug as a yes and stepped briskly into the dingy little room. With as much dignity as possible considering the sleazy surroundings, she seated herself on a ripped vinyl chair by the small formica table she spotted next to the window. Of course the blind was down, making everything appear even more dirty and depressing. She very deliberately did not look at the unmade bed with its tumbled sheets and pillows.

"Okay, so." With a slight pout, Haruka threw herself into the chair opposite Setsuna. "You've found us. Now what?"

"We get Michiru and go back to work. Obviously."

Haruka gave a mighty, if resigned, sigh. "She should be back soon. There's an establishment across the courtyard that claims to be a restaurant. She went to find us some food."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "Been working up an appetite, have you?"

"Look, honestly Setsuna, the three of us have been tracking this monster through the woods for a week, we've had no sleep, no privacy, no showers…This break was necessary stress relief!"

"And I can see you're also making history in just how low you'll sink to get it."

"Need I remind you," Haruka growled, "that this is the only accommodation for about two hundred miles. Believe me, if there was another option, I would have taken it. Michiru spent so long complaining about how awful this place was that I didn't think we were actually _ever_ going to get around to—"

She broke off abruptly and shot Setsuna a sheepish look. "Yeah, well, never mind."

"Okay." Setsuna got to her feet. As…unsoldierly as Haruka and Michiru's behaviour had been, she had to admit that Haruka had a point. On long missions like this, it was important to take the time to recharge, and it also wasn't particularly pleasant for her to think about what she'd have to put up with over the coming days if she didn't let Haruka and Michiru finish getting this out of their system now. "You can stay here _one_ more night with Michiru. I suppose I could do with a bath and good night's sleep as well…But we'll all be leaving tomorrow bright and early, no excuses!"

A wide grin spreading across her face, Haruka nearly leapt out of her chair and enveloped Setsuna in a bear hug so tight she all but lost her breath.

"Thanks, Setsuna. You're the best."

Disentangling herself and smoothing down her hair, Setsuna did her best to stop the smile of amusement that wanted to soften her lips.

"Don't mention it. I'll go and see about getting checked into a room."

"I think Room #11 is free," said Haruka helpfully.

"I said I wanted to _sleep_ , Haruka. These walls are paper thin. And think about it for a moment. Do you really want me to hear the sounds that you and Michiru are going to be making later on?"

"Umm…Maybe it's not the best plan." Haruka agreed quickly. "But you're welcome to join us for dinner, at least."

"That's okay. I know the last week has been…Challenging. You and Michiru deserve some time together. I'll see you both tomorrow."

When Setsuna checked in to the motel, she was sure to ask for a Room as far away from #10 as possible. The clerk nodded in sad understanding. "I quite understand, madam. In fact, a number of our guests have requested they be moved away from that location. Infernal spirits again, I suppose."

"Not infernal spirits," Setsuna corrected as she took her key. "Just two girls deeply in love."

The clerk's face got even longer. "Oh dear. People in love do even more damage to our Rooms than infernal spirits. Are you sure?"

Setsuna smiled, thinking of the light she saw in her two closest friends' eyes whenever they looked at each other. "Very sure," she said.


	2. Operation Save Haruka! Michiru and Seiya Join Forces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Your prompt is MICHIRU and SEIYA on vacation_   
>  _Your two prompt phrases are: Falling | Lust_

Michiru was falling asleep in the shade of her beach umbrella. It was very, very pleasant. She was lying on Haruka's towel that smelled comfortingly of her partner's cologne; Haruka was off somewhere playing with Hotaru in the rock pools, Setsuna had gone to find ice-creams, and all Michiru had to do until her family came back was relax and doze on the warm sand with the wash of the waves lulling her into a half-dream.

Until, that is, a football hit her in the head.

Jerked abruptly out of her nap and her good mood, Michiru sat up fully intending to eviscerate (or at least soundly scold) whoever had been foolish enough to disturb her, only to see, of all people, Seiya running up to her with an embarrassed grin.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about that…Uh…Wait, Michiru? Is that you?"

Seiya and Michiru stared at each other for a few moments in shock, until Michiru picked up the football that had so rudely ruined her day and threw it back to Seiya—hard—deliberately aiming for her face.

Unfortunately, Seiya's reflexes were fast enough for her to catch it, and she gave Michiru a slightly hurt look; like she couldn't believe Michiru would do that.

"There's no need to try and break my nose. I already said I was sorry. It's not my fault Taiki and Yaten are the most incompetent footballers ever."

"Oh go away, Seiya," Michiru groaned, flopping back down onto Haruka's towel. "I have no idea what you're doing here, but please, please go away and let me get back to sleeping."

Contrary to leaving, Seiya availed herself of one of the free beach towels scattered about Michiru's little empire and joined her in the shade of the umbrella. Michiru was not impressed.

"What do you mean you have no idea what I'm doing here? Obviously I'm vacationing with my friends, which is what, I'm assuming, you are also doing. There's nothing sinister about it."

"Uh huh," said Michiru sceptically. "And of all the beaches in Japan, you just happened to pick this one, totally at random. That's believable."

Seiya snickered. "You think I'm stalking you or something?"

"Either that or you're here secretly lusting after Haruka.

It had seemed a perfectly reasonable extrapolation of thought to Michiru, considering Seiya's apparent inability to ever stop teasing Haruka, and she was a little miffed when Seiya burst out laughing.

"Michiru," she said between giggles, "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but just because _you_ find Haruka so irresistible, it doesn't mean that the rest of the world does. I can safely promise you that I am not harbouring any lustful feelings for your socially challenged girlfriend."

"Haruka is very charming!"

"To you, yes. She looks at most other people like they're something nasty stuck to the bottom of her shoe."

"At least she's not constantly rude to people like Yaten is."

"Oh sure. Except for that whole bit where she sometimes tries to beat people up she's just met."

"Michiru-mama!"

Michiru and Seiya stopped their squabbling as a tearful Hotaru ran up to them and buried herself in Michiru's arms.

"Hotaru, what's wrong?" said Michiru quickly. "Where's Haruka?"

Hotaru looked up at her, face red and blotched from crying. "A sea monster attacked us and dragged Haruka-papa away into a cave. I couldn't do anything, Michiru-mama. I'm not big enough to transform yet."

Anxiety stabbed into Michiru like a knife, but she kissed her daughter reassuringly and hid her agitation. "Don't worry. You did exactly what you should. Just wait here until Setsuna-mama gets back and then tell her where we've gone, all right?"

"All right." Hotaru nodded gravely and made a visible effort to swallow her fear. "The cave is down by the rock pools. You'll see the…The tracks the monster made when it knocked Haruka-papa out and dragged her off."

For a moment, Michiru briefly wondered what it would be like to go on a holiday in which some member of her family didn't end up in mortal danger. It might be nice to find out one day. There was that one time on one of the islands in the south with the Inner Senshi…Actually, no, Michiru corrected herself. That had ended up being one of the many occasions when Mamoru was kidnapped by an evil queen who wanted to brainwash him and make him love her forever. It was just that that happened so often Michiru couldn't always keep all of the incidents straight in her head.

She sighed. "Seiya? I have a favour to ask. It's not that I'm not completely sure I couldn't handle the monster by myself, but this is Haruka's life we're talking about. I'd rather not take unnecessary chances."

With a grin, Seiya said, "oh, I'm totally in. I'll have material to humiliate Haruka with for months if I help you save her life. This is the best vacation ever."

Michiru thought it possible that Haruka might prefer death to being saved by Seiya, but that was too bad. She was going to be saved whether she wanted it or not. A world without Haruka was not an option.

* * *

The cave was cold, dark and miserable. After transforming, Michiru and Seiya followed a tunnel that went deep into the depths of the cliff, led by the light of Michiru's Mirror that was glowing more gold than its usual blue-silver colour. 

When Michiru finally caught sight of the monster, she could only describe it as a kind of giant, slinking octopus. It had Haruka – still seemingly unconscious – wrapped up in some kind of seaweed cocoon, and heavens only knew what dark purpose an evil octopus needed a senshi for in the first place.

"That thing is disgusting," Seiya whispered. "Really, really gross. Please tell me it's not one of your subjects, mighty Ocean Queen."

"If it ever was one of my subjects, I can assure you it's not anymore," was Michiru's ice cold reply. "Now this is the plan. We're going to—"

She got no further before Seiya burst out to confront the octopus with a Star Serious Laser attack.

It roared, thrashed its tentacles angrily and then – to Michiru's surprise – slithered away into a pool in the centre of the cave that Michiru assumed connected to the ocean via some network of underground channels.

"Ha!" Seiya gave a yell of triumph, pumping her fist in the air. "I saved Haruka's life! I'm never going to let her live this down."

Shaking her head, Michiru went to free the unconscious Haruka. As she was pulling apart the slimy cocoon, there was an ominous rumbling and no less than three of the giant octopi creatures erupted from the cave's pool, making a grab for Seiya who only just managed to dive out of the way in time.

"Get over here, Seiya!" Michiru exclaimed in annoyance, hurriedly raising her Mirror and using its light to hold off the two octopi rearing over her head while their original foe went after Seiya.

She could already feel the creatures weren't susceptible to water, and that posed a problem. After evading a barrage of flying tentacles, Seiya made it to Michiru's side and glanced down at Haruka.

"Is she alright?"

"I think so. Doesn't seem like she's going to wake up any time soon, though."

Michiru was still busy using her Mirror to keep the octopi at bay, and she started in confusion as Seiya grabbed her shoulder for a moment. "What are you—?" she began, until she saw the phone in Seiya's hand, held at arm's length and already snapping a photo.

"Urgh, get _off_ me you idiot, I'm trying to fight here!" She pushed Seiya off and ducked a swinging tentacle while Seiya chortled at whatever picture she'd taken.

"Good!" Seiya exclaimed happily. "I got Haruka in too." She pressed a button and began tying. "Uploading to Facebook now. Hashtag saving Haruka. Hashtag hanging w. my girl Michiru. Hashtag winning."

"If we get out of this I'm going to kill you!" Michiru yelled furiously. "And these stupid monsters. Take that!"

A brilliant Submarine Reflection erupted from her Mirror, fuelled by her blood-pounding anger. Amidst a cacophony of roars something that was either purple ink or black blood began to ooze onto the rocky floor of the cave, but still the monsters kept coming and Michiru's Mirror was nearly out of charge.

Panting with sweat running down her face, Michiru looked at Seiya. "We'll have to try and combine our attacks. It's the only way."

Seiya tucked her phone away and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Combine, Michiru? I thought you'd never ask."

"Really?" said Michiru, giving her an incredulous look. "You're flirting with me now? After that stupid photo stunt? Also – Haruka's _right here_. If we're going to be killed by giant octopi, I can pretty much promise you that I'll be dying in her arms and not yours."

"Urgh. It was a joke Michiru. A joke. You do know what that is?"

"Are we doing this damned attack or not!"

"Fine, fine. Ready when you are."

They nodded to each other and leapt to their feet, Michiru releasing her Deep Submerge as Seiya fired off another Star Serious Laser. The two balls of blue energy merged and flew towards the octopi; there was a booming explosion and a blinding flash of light. Once Michiru could see again, there was nothing left but a single dismembered tentacle floating on the now boiling and churning surface of the pool.

"Wow," said Seiya. "We make a good team."

Michiru brushed something off of her uniform that she sincerely hoped wasn't fried octopi. "Let's just get Haruka out of here. I have a vacation to get back to."

* * *

"I really am sorry," Setsuna apologised for the tenth time. The remains of four sad melted ice-creams sat next to her, just about in their death-throes from the summer heat. "I ran into an old colleague of mine and we got to chatting, and you know how that goes. I just didn't notice the time passing."

"Please, no need to apologise," said Seiya breezily. "Michiru and I had things totally under control. We make an awesome team. _Awesome_. Just saying."

"Why are you still here?" Haruka groaned, her voice muffled since she was currently lying with her head tucked into Michiru's shoulder. "Go hang out with your own friends and leave us in peace."

"Yaten's asleep and Taiki's reading a book and that's _boring_. Tormenting you is much more fun."

Haruka huffed a breath onto Michiru's collarbone and closed her eyes. "Whatever. Just stop talking. I'm tired."

Seiya opened her mouth to say something more but Michiru shot her a look that very clearly warned against it.

Eyes already growing restless with the anticipation of boredom, Seiya immediately began searching for new distractions, and Michiru shuddered a little as she picked up the football again.

"Hey Hotaru," Seiya whispered, "want me to teach you how to play football?"

Clinging tightly to Setsuna's hand, Hotaru shook her head. "I saw the selfie on Setsuna-mama's phone. You're evil, Seiya."

"What selfie?" Haruka mumbled suspiciously, apparently not quite asleep yet.

Michiru stroked her back calmingly. "Really nothing you need to worry about, love. Seiya's deleting it right now."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are," Setsuna spoke up, and even though she didn't raise her voice, there was something cold and frightening in her eyes. "Unless you _want_ all of us to be your undying enemies, of course."

"When I get bigger, I'll be able to destroy whole planets," Hotaru added, giving Seiya an unnerving smile.

"You wouldn't!" Seiya stuttered, worry darkening her eyes. "That – that's _evil_."

"Yes." Hotaru nodded. "Just like your selfie."

Seiya made a noise of annoyance and got out her phone. "Fine. I'm deleting it. There. It's gone."

There was, however, a stubborn look that lingered on her face that said she hoped every one of Haruka's friends had seen it during its short tenure on the internet.

Setsuna checked her phone. "It's gone," she confirmed.

Haruka began to snore. Michiru smiled happily. Yaten and Taiki finally turned up to drag Seiya away, wanting to know why she couldn't be trusted by herself for five minutes without getting into a monster fight.

Seiya left protesting loudly that it hadn't been her idea and that it wasn't her fault if the Outer Soldiers of Earth sought her out due to her prowess in battle and superior strategic skill. It might not have been chance that a particularly vicious wave crashed into the shore at that moment, nearly knocking Seiya off her feet as she wandered close to the water.

She looked back at Michiru warily. In her sleep, Haruka rolled a little further into Michiru's arms, so that Seiya disappeared and all Michiru could see was a thatch of blonde hair. Setsuna looked up at the cloudless sky and picked up a volume of Yeats' poetry to read to Hotaru.

"It's a beautiful day," she said.

With the air half crushed out of her lungs and her arm going to sleep from Haruka's weight, Michiru could only agree.


	3. Haunted Heart: Usagi's Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Your prompt is HARUKA and USAGI in a haunted forest._   
>  _Your two prompt phrases are: Reality | Tears_

For about the fourth time, Haruka banged on Usagi's front door. "Princess!" she called again. "We're going to be late. Princess? Usagi?" All was still silent. Eerily silent. Between one breath and the next something oppressive had crept into the cool evening air and Haruka instinctually grasped the henshin stick hidden in her pocket.

"Usagi, I'm coming in okay?"

Still no answer.

Haruka tried the door. It opened with a creak almost before her fingers touched the handle. Cautiously, she stepped inside.

"What the—" she began in confusion, only to have her words cut off by the very definitive slam of the door behind her. As fast as she whirled around, she was too late. The door was gone, swallowed up by the looming, misty forest of skeletal trees that appeared to have completely taken over what had once been Usagi's living room.

"Usagi?" Haruka tried again, her voice echoing strangely. "Where are you? What's happened? Why is there a forest in your house?"

She stood still, head cocked, listening carefully, while the mist began to settle on her skin like a heavy layer of slime. Very faintly, she thought she heard someone crying. It was almost impossible to say where the sound was coming from, but she picked a direction and began to walk, shoulder blades prickling as if unseen eyes were watching her.

Haruka couldn't say how long she walked. It felt like forever. Voices began to call to her from the mist, jeering ugly voices urging her to give up, mocking her for going the wrong way, telling her that nothing she did could make a difference.

Snorting under her breath, Haruka muttered to her unseen foe, "is that all you've got? You think I haven't heard all of that before? Stop wasting my time."

As she finished speaking, she abruptly reached the edge of the forest. Between one step and the next the trees were gone, and she was standing on a bleak, snowy plain that stretched as far as she could see.

The crying was louder now, sounding more like heart wrenching wails. A bitingly cold wind swept over Haruka, throwing a flurry of sleet into her eyes. She wiped a hand over her face in irritation and began to wade through the snow that got deeper with every step she took.

Belatedly, she realised that she probably should have already transformed. She checked one pocket, then the other, then every pocket she had with ever-speeding breaths. Her transformation stick was no longer with her.

Without thinking she turned back towards the forest and had already taken several steps before she stopped. Everything inside of her knew she wouldn't find Usagi there. That was why it was trying to draw her back.

Haruka's hand balled into a fist. "My power doesn't come from some magic stick," she growled to whatever enemy was lurking out there, unseen in the forest and the snow. "I don't need it to fight for the things that matter."

Ignoring the forest, she went deeper and deeper into the stark white world, a tiny speck in an endless wasteland of nothingness. She called until her voice was hoarse; she floundered through drifts until she was shivering and wet through and the forest was long lost behind her.

And then she finally heard it again; the crying. It had become quieter, a defeated, pitiful sobbing, and Haruka finally caught a glimpse of Usagi. She was almost camouflaged against the snow in her white dress with her pale skin and her hair for some reason turned almost silver like her mother's.

"Princess," Haruka whispered, her chapped lips nearly splitting with the effort of speaking.

The vision vanished almost at once. Rushing towards where Usagi had been, Haruka caught her foot on something and fell headlong in an undignified heap. She half sat up, shaking snow out of her hair, and nearly gasped in horror as she saw what had tripped her.

It was the body of Michiru, frozen into a beautiful, perfect ice sculpture, one hand thrown out as if reaching for something. Brittle tears rested on her flawless cheeks; her eyes stared sightlessly past Haruka with all the indifference of death.

"Michiru," Haruka choked, automatically reaching for her frozen hand. The contact burned her and she cried out in pain, tearing her fingers away and leaving bloody streaks behind.

Looking further, she saw the bodies of Hotaru and Setsuna, and further away still lay Minako and Rei and Makoto and Ami; all frozen. All dead.

"Usagi." Groping blindly through the snow on her hands and knees, Haruka managed to close her hand on warm, living flesh. "Usagi, you have to stop this."

"Why?" said Usagi, sounding so very tired and defeated. "This is what's coming one day, isn't it? An icy end. All of you dying. Why keep going if that's how it's going to be? I've watched all of you die too many times." Her eyes seemed to stare right through Haruka, haunted with pain and sadness. It was stupid, but Haruka was so used to Usagi being full of hope that it had never occurred to her that she too must sometimes suffer from nightmares that stole in with the dark like ghosts and refused to leave.

Gently brushing away the icicles clinging to Usagi's long hair, Haruka reassured, "this isn't reality, Usagi. It's just a nightmare created by your fears."

Suddenly seeming to understand Haruka was actually there, Usagi turned to her, her eyes almost mad with intensity. "What if it's not, Haruka? We know. We know something like this is coming."

Haruka smiled. "You won't fail us, Princess. You never do. Whatever comes won't be like this. You'd never allow a future this ugly to prevail."

"But how can I not think about it? How can I not worry? I've lost all of you so many times."

Hunching companionably next to her terrified Princess, Haruka said, squinting into the distance of nothingness, "do you remember why I came here tonight? I'm supposed to be giving you a lift to Michiru's retrospective. And you're making me late." She made her voice chiding, though not unkind. With a frown she added more seriously, "and I'm not going to forget about the people counting on me today because of what might happen tomorrow. That would be a very poor way to repay their faith in me. Besides, isn't being with your friends more fun than…This." With the sweep of her arm, Haruka took in the bleak, snowy wilderness.

Then she stood, dusting the snow off of herself, and held out her hand to Usagi. "Are you coming, Princess? The others are waiting for us."

Usagi glanced one last time at the bodies of her soldiers, a lingering glance that was almost that of an addict unable to see past her own pain. But she finally forced herself to look away, closing her eyes momentarily, and when she opened them again, they were the clear blue Haruka knew so well.

"You're right," Usagi said, taking Haruka's hand and allowing herself to be pulled up. "We can't not be there for Michiru."

The snow melted away as their hands clasped and Haruka found they were back in Usagi's living room. She quickly glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh no. We're so late."

Usagi gave Haruka an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I don't often get like that. Thanks for…"

Haruka spun her car keys and grinned. "No problem. And it's just as well I can drive like the wind, isn't it?"


	4. Retrospective: Ten Years a Soldier of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Your prompt is MICHIRU and SEIYA in an art museum._   
>  _Your two prompt phrases are: Rivalry | Worship_
> 
> Follows on from the previous ficlet.

Seiya cocked her head and tried examining the sketch from a different angle. She took a few careful steps, first right and then left, but neither perspective provided her with the clarity she sought, and the question that had been plaguing her ever since she first noticed the piece remained unanswered.

She turned swiftly as she heard a musical chuckle behind her.

"Enjoying the exhibition, Seiya?" Michiru asked, handing her a glass of champagne in a surprising show of cordiality.

"I am," said Seiya. "Very much. But I don't suppose you've seen Usagi? She should be here by now."

"Well, as you know, Haruka was supposed to be picking her up, but neither of them is here yet."

"Do you think they're okay?" Seiya lowered her voice. "Could it have been a mon—"

"I haven't felt anything," said Michiru, apparently unruffled. "I'm sure they'll arrive soon. Haruka won't let anything stop her tonight."

Seiya almost wanted to blurt out, _who even has a retrospective at the age of twenty-five, anyway?_ But she managed to hold her tongue. She knew that Michiru's answer would probably just be one of her mysterious smiles and a reminder that she'd been a sensation in the art world since she was a little girl.

Seemingly in no hurry to move on, Michiru took a sip of her champagne and nodded towards the sketch. "I see you've found the only drawing of Haruka included in the exhibition."

"So it _is_ her," Seiya exclaimed, narrowing her eyes anew at the tall, lanky girl in the picture, wearing a decidedly un-Haruka-like short, satiny blue dress that showed more skin than it covered, complete with a froth of flowy accents. "Why just this one? I thought…I mean, I imagine you've painted Haruka a lot over the years."

Luckily Seiya caught herself before she said what she'd first envisioned when Usagi invited her along tonight – that she'd be walking into a gallery full of angry Harukas glaring down at her.

Michiru gave her an amused sidelong glance, as if she guessed what Seiya was thinking anyway (which, knowing her, might well be the case), and said, "you're right; I do paint Haruka a lot. But those pictures are generally not for display and not for sale. Some things I prefer to keep private. But I included this one because it was the first time Haruka let me draw her, soon after we met."

"She agreed to pose wearing _that_? And she's letting you show it to the rest of the world?"

"Why wouldn't she? She looks beautiful."

"But she doesn't look like her."

"She's the wind, Seiya. The wind is free and changeable, unfettered by anyone or anything, least of all someone else's opinion on what attire is appropriate for her. Besides, I had to include this drawing. It was an important moment for me artistically. When I drew that picture of Haruka, it was the first time I stopped seeing the end of the world playing in my head. It was the first time I felt hope might be possible. And then the next picture I painted was this."

They moved onto a different painting. Even knowing nothing of art, Seiya was moved by it. Whales frolicked joyfully in space, the soft, gentle play of light and colour so different to the starkness of Michiru's pre-Haruka work; dark canvases filled with the ruins of shattered cities bathed in blood red seas.

"Of course," Michiru's tone was a little haughty, "no one here understands why my work changed. Why I could suddenly paint happiness as well as sadness and despair. I believe the popular theory currently in vogue is something to do with the different developmental stages of adolescence."

Her eyes got a faraway look for a moment, and a warm smile softened her face. "Ah. Haruka's here."

She wasn't wrong. A minute or so later Haruka hurried into the crowded gallery with Usagi hanging off her arm and made straight for Michiru.

"Sorry I'm so late. Usagi got into a scrape. As usual."

Usagi gave an embarrassed laugh and untangled herself to go and snag something from a passing tray of snacks. Haruka briefly curled her arm around Michiru's waist and barely brushed her lips against her temple.

"Are you having a good night?" she asked, her look unabashedly tender.

"Better now that you're here," Michiru replied.

Haruka smiled. "Well you knew I wouldn't miss it. Tonight's important."

"Ah of course. My retrospective."

"Not just that."

"Oh?" Michiru tilted her head playfully.

"You know very well what day it is," said Haruka, relieving Michiru of her champagne and taking a sip.

"I hope you remember you're driving us all home after this."

"One sip won't hurt." Haruka spared Seiya a glance long enough to frown at her, as if inwardly wondering why she'd previously let Usagi talk her into extending her driving services to their Starlight guest.

But she couldn't seem to summon up the indignation required for their usual rivalry and soon turned her attention back to Michiru. She whispered, low enough that Seiya probably wasn't supposed to hear, "today is the day we met ten years ago."

"Mmm," said Michiru, taking her champagne back, "things didn't go very well did they?"

"In my defence, who walks up to a complete stranger and asks to draw them?"

"You knew who I was, Haruka. That's why you refused."

"Well, I came around in the end."

"You did," Michiru allowed, eyes and voice softening as she looked up at her partner.

Usagi finally reappeared precariously balancing two plates piled high with food. Seiya quickly got rid of her empty champagne glass, took a plate, grabbed Usagi's hand and led the way to the opposite side of the gallery. "Come on. Let's check out the rest of the exhibition."

Once they were a decent distance away, she heaved a sigh of relief and took several bites of some kind of savoury pastry parcel. "Seriously, Usagi. How do you put up with Haruka and Michiru being like that _all the damn time?_ Doesn't it drive everyone nuts?"

"Well." Usagi shrugged. "They worship each other. It's kind of sweet. 

"That's not the word I'd use," Seiya muttered.

She risked a glance back towards Haruka and Michiru, seeing them still wrapped up in each other and practically surrounded by glittering sparkles. No one seemed especially surprised by it. The retrospective would have to go on without further participation from the artist herself, who clearly had other priorities tonight with a private retrospective of her own.


End file.
